Conference of Defence Associations Institute

CDA Institute
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  • POLITICS

The CDA Institute's programming convenes experts in Canadian defence, international security, and politics to provide nuanced discussion about current and ongoing issues in defence and security. https://cdainstitute.ca/

  1. The Evolving Role of the National Security and Intelligence Advisor

    2D AGO

    The Evolving Role of the National Security and Intelligence Advisor

    The role of Canada’s National Security and Intelligence Advisor (NSIA) has become increasingly pivotal in response to a rapidly evolving global security environment. Created in 2005, the position was designed to address gaps in Canada’s national security architecture and to ensure the Prime Minister had a dedicated advisor to navigate the complex world of security and intelligence.  Since then, the NSIA has had to adapt to a new reality in which many of the most significant threats originate beyond Canada’s borders. The return of revanchist authoritarian states such as Russia and China, the unpredictable foreign policy of the United States under Donald Trump, and the growing threat of cyber warfare, foreign interference, and grey-zone conflict have all underscored the expanding scope and urgency of the NSIA’s work. On today’s podcast, inspired by their recent CIGI article 'Getting Serious About National Security', we spoke with Vincent Rigby and Adam Chapnick about how the NSIA’s role has evolved over time, the challenges it faces today, whether or not Canada has begun to take its national security more seriously, and what lies ahead in an increasingly unstable world. They also discuss both the practical and strategic changes within Canada’s national security framework and consider how future holders of the NSIA position can navigate an increasingly complex threat environment. Link to article: https://www.cigionline.org/publications/getting-serious-about-national-security/ ➡️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cdainstitute/ ➡️ Twitter/X: https://x.com/CDAInstitute ➡️ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/cdainstitute.bsky.social ➡️ Instagram: https://bit.ly/42ih7SU 📬 Visit our website and subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest defence and security updates delivered to your inbox: https://bit.ly/4fQ2wDV The CDA Institute is a non-partisan think tank that conducts research and education programming on defence and security. The CDA Institute is a non-partisan think tank that conducts research and education programming on defence and security. Learn more: CDA Institute

    48 min
  2. Venezuela, Greenland and the 'Donroe Doctrine'

    JAN 9

    Venezuela, Greenland and the 'Donroe Doctrine'

    On Today’s episode of The Expert Series Podcast, Dr. Roland Paris, Ben Rowswell, and Dr. Kamran Bokhari examine the recent U.S. strikes on Venezuela, the capture of President Nicolás Maduro, President Trump’s renewed discussion around the potential acquisition of Greenland, and what pivots in U.S. national security strategy and renewed focus on the Western hemisphere mean for Canadian and global security. Paris, Rowswell, and Bokhari discuss the implications of U.S. strikes on Venezuela and the removal of President Maduro for regional and international security, historical precedent and U.S.-Venezuela relations, whether or not U.S. actions present challenges for state sovereignty and international law, the strategic logic behind a renewed U.S. focus on the Western Hemisphere and the reassertion of its regional influence, President Trump’s remarks about taking Greenland and its geopolitical influence, the risks of further regional and global instability, what shifts in U.S. foreign policy and the National Security Strategy mean for NATO, continental security, and Canada’s position as a middle power in a changing international system. Roland Paris is a Professor of International Affairs and Director of the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa, and former Senior Advisor on Foreign Policy to the Prime Minister of Canada, Ben Rowswell is a consultant with Catalyze4, who previously served as Canada’s chargé d’affaires in Iraq from 2003 to 2005 and as Canada’s Ambassador to Venezuela from 2014 to 2017, and Dr. Kamran Bokhari is a Senior Director at the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy in Washington of which he is a key founder, and also teaches graduate level courses at Georgetown University. The CDA Institute is a non-partisan think tank that conducts research and education programming on defence and security. Learn more: CDA Institute

    1h 10m
  3. 2025 Year in Review: Is Canada Prepared for the Threats & Challenges Ahead?

    12/19/2025

    2025 Year in Review: Is Canada Prepared for the Threats & Challenges Ahead?

    From the re-election of U.S. President Donald Trump to the Defence Investment Strategy, Budget 2025, the CPSP downselection, Canada’s integration into ReArm Europe, and this summer’s NATO Summit announcement that Canada would meet the 2% GDP target for defence spending, General Tom Lawson, Wendy Gilmour, and Dr. Rob Huebert joined the season finale of The Expert Series to reflect on the most consequential defence and security developments of the year and offer a threat assessment for 2026. The panel discussed this year’s rise in Canadian defence spending and the establishment of the Defence Investment Strategy; the impact of global developments such as the uncertainty of U.S. foreign policy under President Trump; the need to modernize Canada’s military capabilities, rebuild personnel, and strengthen the defence industrial base; as well as the necessity of pursuing strategic autonomy and diversifying partnerships with Europe and other like-minded nations. Central to the discussion was President Trump’s return to office, which has upended longstanding assumptions underpinning Canadian security and has raised questions about U.S. reliability as an ally. The panel examined the U.S. National Security Strategy and the potential long-term implications for Canada and the broader democratic world. ➡️ LinkedIn:   / cdainstitute  ➡️ Twitter/X: https://x.com/CDAInstitute ➡️ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/cdainstitute... ➡️ Instagram: https://bit.ly/42ih7SU 📬 Visit our website and subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest defence and security updates delivered to your inbox: https://bit.ly/4fQ2wDV The CDA Institute is a non-partisan think tank that conducts research and education programming on defence and security. The CDA Institute is a non-partisan think tank that conducts research and education programming on defence and security. Learn more: CDA Institute

    54 min
  4. What Trump's National Security Strategy Means for Canada

    12/12/2025

    What Trump's National Security Strategy Means for Canada

    The 2025 U.S. National Security Strategy arrives, in the words of today’s panel, as a strikingly coherent and assertive statement of American strategic intent—a document whose internal consistency carries deeply worrying implications for Canada, Europe, and global stability.  It portrays a United States increasingly oriented toward a hemispheric, mercantilist posture, relying on coercive diplomacy in the Americas while softening its language on Russia in ways that appear to concede space for expanded Russian influence in Europe. Rooted in a legislative requirement to justify defence spending to Congress, the NSS must also be read through the lens of U.S. domestic politics, where the coming 2026 midterms and the 2028 presidential election will shape and sharpen Republican debates over the country’s global role. On today’s episode, Vincent Rigby, former National Security and Intelligence Advisor to the Prime Minister; Kerry Buck, former Canadian Ambassador to NATO; and Christopher Sands, Director of the Center for Canadian Studies at Johns Hopkins, joined us to unpack the new U.S. National Security Strategy (NSS) and its implications for Canada and U.S. allies. The panel discusses the document’s hemispheric framing; shifts in U.S. views toward Russia and implications for European security; the potential weakening of NATO cohesion and transatlantic stability; the domestic political forces shaping U.S. strategy and Republican foreign-policy debates; the absence of Canada in the NSS and what that signals about Canada’s strategic position; risks for Canada related to critical minerals, Arctic sovereignty, industrial policy, and trade diversification; and the broader challenge of navigating U.S. unpredictability and the need to reinforce Canada’s ties to Europe and like-minded partners. ➡️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cdainstitute/ ➡️ Twitter/X: https://x.com/CDAInstitute ➡️ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/cdainstitute.bsky.social ➡️ Instagram: https://bit.ly/42ih7SU 📬 Visit our website and subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest defence and security updates delivered to your inbox: https://bit.ly/4fQ2wDV The CDA Institute is a non-partisan think tank that conducts research and education programming on defence and security. The CDA Institute is a non-partisan think tank that conducts research and education programming on defence and security. Learn more: CDA Institute

    50 min
  5. Montreal Climate Security Summit Series, Pt. 1: Civil-Military Cooperation

    12/11/2025

    Montreal Climate Security Summit Series, Pt. 1: Civil-Military Cooperation

    The CDA Institute’s Climate Security Programme has launched a limited set of episodes of the Expert Series podcast highlighting key insights from the 4th Montreal Climate Security Summit (MCSS), co-hosted with NATO CCASCOE.  In our first episode, Director of the Climate Security Programme Pauline Baudu is joined by Eva Cohen, Founder & President of Civil Protection Youth Canada (CPYC), to discuss how civil–military cooperation in Canada is adapting as climate-driven and compound disasters grow more frequent and complex.  Eva brings experience from Germany’s THW, a leading volunteer-based civil protection model, and has facilitated multiple expert exchanges between THW and the Canadian defence community, including CJOC. Her work outlines why Canada needs a citizen-based civil protection approach and what it will take to make it work.  In this episode, we explore how community-level preparedness and youth-led training can reduce pressure on national response systems in the context of climate disasters, lessons from THW that could strengthen Canadian resilience, as well as how the CAF can best support whole-of-society emergency management while maintaining civilian leadership  ➡️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cdainstitute/ ➡️ Twitter/X: https://x.com/CDAInstitute ➡️ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/cdainstitute.bsky.social ➡️ Instagram: https://bit.ly/42ih7SU 📬 Visit our website and subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest defence and security updates delivered to your inbox: https://bit.ly/4fQ2wDV The CDA Institute is a non-partisan think tank that conducts research and education programming on defence and security. THW: https://www.thw.de/EN/homepage/homepage_node.html  Civil Protection Youth Canada: https://www.civilprotection.ca/ The CDA Institute is a non-partisan think tank that conducts research and education programming on defence and security. Learn more: CDA Institute

    28 min
  6. 'If We don't Enhance Our Defence and Security, We Give up Our Sovereignty'

    12/07/2025

    'If We don't Enhance Our Defence and Security, We Give up Our Sovereignty'

    On today's Expert Series, Paul Taillon and Howard Coombs joined us to discuss Canada's plan to expand its reserve forces, with goals to increase the primary reserve to 100,000 and the supplementary reserve to 300,000.  They discussed the key challenges, including inefficient recruiting systems, limited training capacity, and the need for better integration with regular forces. Other issues addressed were the supplementary reserve's current role as a civil defence pool rather than a war-fighting force, historical context on the reserve's role in national defence, and the importance of addressing these challenges to maintain Canada's sovereignty and readiness for future threats. Given the urgent need to address these issues, what steps can Canada take to ensure a more effective and sustainable reserve force strategy in the face of an increasingly unstable global security environment? Dr. Col. Paul de B. Taillon is the Vice-Chair of the PIF Selection Committee and has over 40 years of academic, intelligence and military experience. Dr. Howard Coombs is an Associate Professor of History at the Royal Military College of Canada and Associate Director Defence Engagement of the Queen’s Centre for International and Defence Policy, both in Kingston, Ontario. He is also a part-time Canadian Army reservist with the Canadian Defence Academy, also located in Kingston. ➡️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cdainstitute/ ➡️ Twitter/X: https://x.com/CDAInstitute ➡️ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/cdainstitute.bsky.social ➡️ Instagram: https://bit.ly/42ih7SU 📬 Visit our website and subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest defence and security updates delivered to your inbox: https://bit.ly/4fQ2wDV The CDA Institute is a non-partisan think tank that conducts research and education programming on defence and security. The CDA Institute is a non-partisan think tank that conducts research and education programming on defence and security. Learn more: CDA Institute

    46 min
  7. Is it Time to Update Canada's Indo-Pacific Strategy?

    11/28/2025

    Is it Time to Update Canada's Indo-Pacific Strategy?

    In 2022, Canada unveiled its Indo-Pacific Strategy, committing $2.3 billion to boost its role in a region increasingly seen as the geopolitical and economic center of gravity. Has Canada actually become a relevant player in the Indo-Pacific, or are we still on the outside looking in? And given how quickly things are shifting, is it time to revisit and update this strategy before it becomes outdated?" On today’s episode of the Expert Series, CDA Institute Research Assistant Daniela Valenzuela Neto was joined by Stephen Nagy for a wide-ranging discussion about Canada’s Indo-Pacific engagement, particularly in light of last week’s budget announcement, and with a new government in Ottawa. Dr. Nagy discusses the efficacy of Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy to date, the importance of moving away from a "preaching" approach and focusing on more sustainable, value-driven partnerships, the challenges of defining Canada's role in a vast and diverse region, how Canada can leverage partnerships like the Quad and AUKUS to maximize its influence without overextending its resources, and the importance of strengthening Canada’s relationship with the U.S. and maintaining a realistic, sustainable presence in the Indo-Pacific. Stephen Nagy is a Professor at International Christian University, Tokyo and CDA Institute Fellow. ➡️ LinkedIn:   / cdainstitute  ➡️ Twitter/X: https://x.com/CDAInstitute ➡️ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/cdainstitute... ➡️ Instagram: https://bit.ly/42ih7SU 📬 Visit our website and subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest defence and security updates delivered to your inbox: https://bit.ly/4fQ2wDV The CDA Institute is a non-partisan think tank that conducts research and education programming on defence and security. The CDA Institute is a non-partisan think tank that conducts research and education programming on defence and security. Learn more: CDA Institute

    33 min
  8. Canada Strong? Unpacking the Significance of Budget 2025

    11/18/2025

    Canada Strong? Unpacking the Significance of Budget 2025

    Canada's parliament has narrowly approved Prime Minister Mark Carney's first federal budget, allowing his minority Liberal government to avert an early election. The 2025 federal budget commits an additional $81.8 billion over five years to strengthen Canada’s defence capabilities, with a focus on modernizing military equipment, expanding digital infrastructure, and sustaining current defence assets. It sets a clear trajectory to meet NATO's 2% GDP target by the end of this year and aims for 3.5% of GDP on core military needs by 2035, ensuring strategic investments across personnel, infrastructure, and technology. Dr. Philippe Lagassé  joined the Expert Series to discuss the significance of the budget,  the creation of a defence industrial strategy and its potential impact on Canada's self-sufficiency in defence technology, the challenges of balancing immediate procurement needs with long-term strategic goals, the role of the new Defence Investment Agency (DIA) in improving procurement efficiency, and the importance of aligning government, military, and industry, the need for a refreshed defense policy and a national security strategy. Lagassé views the 2025 budget as a radical shift, marking a departure from the historical trend of limited defence investment since the mid-Cold War.  The CDA Institute is a non-partisan think tank that conducts research and education programming on defence and security. Learn more: CDA Institute

    28 min
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The CDA Institute's programming convenes experts in Canadian defence, international security, and politics to provide nuanced discussion about current and ongoing issues in defence and security. https://cdainstitute.ca/

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